


Red

by MUSEquera



Category: Muse
Genre: AU, Belldom - Freeform, First Time, Fluff, M/M, Porn, fairytales - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2017-12-16 01:00:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MUSEquera/pseuds/MUSEquera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My post to the <a href="http://stellarclouds.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://stellarclouds.livejournal.com/"></a><b>stellarclouds</b> challenge. I'm taking a few liberties with this one, so bear with me. It was meant to be a one-off, but it decided otherwise *sigh*</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My post to the [](http://stellarclouds.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://stellarclouds.livejournal.com/)**stellarclouds** challenge. I'm taking a few liberties with this one, so bear with me. It was meant to be a one-off, but it decided otherwise *sigh*

Once upon a time, a young boy lived with his mother in a little village at the edge of the forest. He was different form all the children in the village; where they were blond and rosy and had brown eyes, our young boy was small and fragile-looking and pale and dark haired, and had the most startling blue eyes anyone in the village had ever seen. He mostly kept to himself, spending most of his time helping his widowed mother with the chores of everyday life, and tending their little orchard and veggie garden. 

Ever since he was little, he'd had a passion for the colour red, and most often he could be seen around the village wearing a red hoodie, the hood up to hide him from the odd looks the people in the village threw in his direction. Eventually, the children started to call him 'red hoodie', and eventually the moniker 'red' stuck; everybody in the village knew him by it, and even his mum called him Red.

Every week, Red and his mum would walk into the woods to visit his beloved grandmother in her forest cottage, taking her fresh fruit and vegetables and some extra bits and pieces from the village shop. Every week, before they set off, Red's mum would warn him not to stray away from her under any circumstances, because the woods were haunted by the big bad wolf. Secretly, as far as he could remember, Red harboured hopes of catching a glimpse of the big bad wolf, the only chance of excitement in his quiet life, but every trip into the forest was, sadly, uneventful.

Until one day, when Red was seventeen, his mum fell sick, and she was unable to go to visit his gran. His mum fretted, worried about Gran's ability to cope on her own without the weekly supply of fresh food, since the old lady was not able to get about on her own very far. Red, being a kind hearted young man who loved his gran very much—and, let's face it, was a bit starved for some adventure—offered to go into the woods on his own. 

"No, Red, I can't allow that. You know the big bad wolf lurks in the woods; many village children have been lost to him." In the way of teenagers everywhere, Red rolled his eyes and whined, "Aawwwww, Mum! I'm seventeen, not seven." In the way of mothers everywhere, his mum gave him 'the look', saying, "Stop behaving like you are seven, then." With a sigh, Red sat on the chair next to the bed and tried to use reason, "But mum, how is Gran going to manage without the food? You know she can't come all the way to the village." 

Mum nodded despite herself, knowing that Red was making sense, and with an inner cheer he pressed his advantage, "I promise I won't stray from the path. Straight to Gran's and straight back here." he said with his most winsome smile, eyes crinkling at the corners and a most endearing wonky tooth making a brief appearance. "All right, love," said Mum with a sigh, stroking his cheek, "but don't stop in the woods for anything, and don't you talk to any strangers."

With an inward eye roll, Red got up and kissed Mum's cheek, "Don't worry, mum, I'll be ok. Now rest and I'll get ready to go." Mum closed her eyes with a whispered, "Be careful, Red." and Red tiptoed out of the bedroom, closing the door carefully behind him. Once outside, he did a silent celebration dance; at last, a chance for some adventure and excitement!! Once he got it out of his system, he went about putting together all the bits and pieces to take to his gran, collecting fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden, looking around for freshly laid eggs, and raiding the pantry for choice little luxuries his mum had picked up from the shop. 

Packing it all carefully in his backpack, he fetched his red hoodie off the peg by the door and, still putting it on over his head, opened the door and set off on his way, hitching the backpack over his shoulder. It was a lovely crisp day, so he dec  
ided to keep his hood down, the breeze that ruffled his hair as he walked tauntingly carrying the scents of the forest. If there ever was a day made for walking in the woods, it surely wasn't much better than this, he thought, taking a deep breath as he stepped under the canopy, looking around him with a smile on his face and a spring on his step.

It was a heady feeling, being alone in the woods, immersed in the dappled light, no sounds but his footsteps and the natural sounds of the forest, the occasional soft sound of wings and the rustling of leaves overhead, the buzzing of bees and the melodious chirping of birds all around him. Every now and then, a rabbit would dash across the path, started from its morning snack of sweet tender grass by the crisp sound of Red's steps on last autumn's leaves, its fluffy white tail flashing through the undergrowth.

Red decided to take his time, sauntering along looking around him, enjoying the early sun's warmth filtering through the trees, stopping here and there to take a closer look at anything that took his fancy; a large piece of mica reflecting the sun like a mirror on a mossy boulder, a brightly coloured butterfly resting on a foxglove, a clump of red-capped mushrooms at the base of a large oak, the shimmering wings of a damsel fly hovering above his head.

Suddenly, he got a whiff of the most delicious scent and he turned a full circle, sniffing the air, trying to locate its origin. He finally managed to pinpoint the source and, looking intently, spied a patch of red a ways off the path to his left. "Strawberries!" he exclaimed gleefully, a huge, blissful grin spreading across his face, wild strawberries being his favourite food—bordering on addiction, according to his gran. Red could not believe his luck, ripe strawberries this early in the season were almost unheard of, but the sight and scent were unmistakable.

He was so intent on getting to the strawberries that he forgot his promise to his mum, and traipsed through the undergrowth, tripping on roots and blackberry canes and falling a couple of times in his haste. Finally, sweaty, scratched and with more than a few blotches of dirt on his hoodie and grass stains on his jeans' knees, he made it to the little clearing. And what a bounty was spread before his eyes! The whole clearing was covered in wild strawberry plants, each plant covered in the small, bright red, plump berries.

Dropping his backpack carefully on the floor, he stood transfixed, hands clasped to his chest and mouth watering at the feast laid at his feet, not knowing where to start. After a few moments he shook himself and dropped to his knees, his hands scooping the sweet morsels into his mouth as fast as he was able to. Red was ecstatic!! His first day out alone in the woods, and he struck treasure! 

On hands and knees, he methodically made his way through the strawberry patch, stripping plants as he went, until he was so full he could not face the thought of putting another strawberry in his mouth. With a sound that was half groan, half satisfied sigh, he stood and walked back to his backpack, sitting down and leaning against a tree, rubbing his very full and now slightly aching tummy, unable to walk another step. "I'll just sit here and rest for a moment" he thought, walking quite beyond him for the moment, the strawberry feast, the soft forest noises, and the warmth of the sun conspiring to make him drowsy. 

Next thing he knew, a blood-curdling howl resonated through the forest, and he sat bolt upright looking wildly around him, trying to get his bearings. He could not see or hear anything amiss, but when he looked up the sun was considerable lower in the sky than when he had veered off the path. Cursing quietly, he quickly gathered his backpack and started to retrace his steps back to the path, but he was brought up short by another howl, this one closer, from the direction of the path. Dropping to all fours, he clumsily crawled through the undergrowth, hampered by the weight of the backpack, until he was behind a thick bush overlooking the path. 

Before he was able to take a look, another howl sounded, so close that he scrambled backwards, looking wildly around him and falling on his arse with a loud "Ooff!" He was about to bolt when he heard a growly voice, "Didn't your mother warn you about stepping out of the path, Red?" He froze in place, not moving a muscle, not daring to breathe, staring at the bush as though it had sprouted horns and a tail. "Come on, boy, up you get, I won't bite." the voice drawled, followed by a dark chuckle, "Unless you ask me nicely, that is."

Red didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he'd never been so scared in his whole life, the howls reverberating around his skull; on the other hand, he’d never heard anything as seductive as the stranger's voice, which was having a decidedly weird effect on his body. Carefully, very carefully, he approached the bush again, trying to catch a peek of the stranger through the leaves, only to be greeted by another howl, followed by the voice saying, "Are you coming out or what?” 

Gathering all his courage, Red lifted his head above the top of the bush, and his jaw dropped at the sight of the rangy, twenty-something-looking golden stranger wearing a body-hugging black shirt and black skinnies, lounging carelessly against a tree on the other side of the path. "Wait..." Red said, staring at the charismatic stranger as if he were made of candy, "you're not the wolf!" The stranger smiled a wolfish smile, all shiny white teeth, saying, "Am I not?" and released the blood-curdling howl again.

"But... but..." The stranger rolled his eyes, "Come on, kid, you can't take every fairy tale adults tell you literally!” Poor Red didn't know up from down, "But..." he swallowed visibly, "they said lots of children had been lost to the big bad wolf." The stranger bowed with a flourish, the wolfish smile back in place, his voice full of dark promises, "Guilty as charged." Pushing off the tree, he sauntered up to Red, his hand out, "Wolf's the name, charmed to make your acquaintance." Red being a well mannered young man, he automatically extended his to be shaken, marveling at the softness of Wolf's skin, "I'm Red." 

A small frown formed as he mentally rewound the conversation, though, "Oh, but you already knew that. How did you know my name?" He tried to retrieve his hand, but Wolf had captured it between both of his, and was now pulling him close to whisper in his ear, "I've been watching you." Red's eyes fluttered closed, Wolf's breath on his skin, the danger in his voice, the closeness of his body, his warm, mouthwatering scent, causing goosebumps to raise all over his body. 

Wolf smirked at the effect he had on Red, thinking to himself, "This is going to be too easy." Slowly, teasing himself with the anticipation, he skimmed his lips just above Red's jaw towards his lips until they were perfectly aligned, hovering there for a couple of heartbeats, taking in Red's heady, fresh scent. Licking his lips, Wolf leant in and softly kissed Red, licking the strawberry juice off his lips and capturing the boy's sigh with his mouth, holding him up as he melted bonelessly into Wolf's body.


	2. Chapter 2

Red had never been kissed before, and his brain buzzed trying to process what was happening; Wolf's taste and scent, the soft texture of his lips, the feel of his hands as they roamed Red's back, the cadence of the kiss, conspiring to drown him in sensation, his body lighting up like a constellation as he mewled weakly into Wolf's lips, clinging to him as if Wolf were his salvation.

After a few moments, though, Red came to his senses, remembering his mum's warnings about strangers. Shaking himself, he pulled away, still out of breath but once again frowning at Wolf, saying in his 'polite' voice, "It... it was nice to meet you, but I... I must be on my way, my gran is waiting for me." Hitching his backpack higher on his shoulder, he turned on his heel and started walking, fighting the need to look over his shoulder to see what Wolf was doing. Had he given in to his impulse, he would have seen Wolf watching him with a hungry look on his face until he went around a bend on the path, and then, chuckling to himself, take off running cross-country like the wind.

After a non-eventful half hour, Red arrived at Gran's thatched cottage, set in a wide clearing fenced with dry stone walls covered in flowering wisteria. He had loved the cottage since he was a child, a magical place that seemed to have grown out of the forest, somewhere he was free to run and play and be himself and be spoilt by Gran. With a smile on his face, he opened the little gate and let himself into the garden, a riot of soft pastel colours greeting his eyes.

Walking up the garden path, Red frowned as he noticed that the garden looked a bit unkempt, "I wonder whether Gran is unwell too," he thought, "it's not like her to let her flowers go to seed." Worried, he hurried up to the door, knocking twice and calling out, "Gran, it's just me, Red." A gruff voice answered him, "Come in, Red, darling, I'm in bed." Well, now Red knew something was wrong, Gran would never be in bed this late in the day, and her voice sounded really off. Maybe she had a cold?

Letting himself in, Red carefully closed the door behind him and dropped his backpack on the kitchen table, thinking he'd go and see whether Gran needed anything before putting things away. He walked into the bedroom and there Gran was, tucked up in bed and wearing a lace night cap on her hair. "Come in, love, let me look at you." she said, "I missed your sweet face." Red stepped into the room, as bid, but couldn't help but notice that Gran looked different. Well, of course she did!! It wasn't Gran at all, it was Wolf, cunningly disguised in Gran's night cap!!

"Oh, Gran," said Red, "what lovely big grey eyes you have!" Wolf smiled to himself, thinking that Red looked quite the delicious morsel, his cheeks rosy from the fresh air and his hair all messy from the breeze. He patted the bed invitingly, "The better to see you with." Red smiled back, glad that Gran was in a good mood despite not feeling well, and sat on the edge of the bed, noticing the ears sticking out of her sleeping cap. 

"Oh, Gran," he exclaimed, "what big ears you have!" Wolf made a face, tired of hearing people going on about his jug ears, but recovered quickly and gave Red a toothy smile, pulling him close and putting his arm around him, "All the better to hear your lovely voice with."

"Oh, Gran," Red said breathlessly, feeling a bit strange at the arm squeezing his waist, a feeling very different from all the other times when Gran had hugged him before, "what beautiful big shiny white teeth you have! Did you get new dentures?" Red was completely unprepared for what happened next, the arm around his waist tightening and Gran leaning in to nibble his ear in a decidedly ungranmotherly way, making his body shiver in response, a deep voice saying in his ear, "All the better to eat you with."

Now, Red may have been a bit dim and easily taken in, but stupid he was not. Realising the person in the bed was not his Gran, he jumped off the bed, body aquiver, recognition setting in. He faced off to Wolf, arms akimbo, tight fists resting on sharp hips, "Get off it!!! You're not my Gran!!! You're Wolf" His bluster died off as Wolf, unperturbed by Red's outburst, stretched ostentatiously, showing off a sliver of very nice tanned skin as his shirt rode up. Taking the sleeping cap off and fluffing his longish blond hair, he leant back on the pillows with his arms folded behind his head, the whole display resulting in Red having to discretely adjust himself inside his jeans.

"Hmmmm, what a perceptive young man you are." Wolf drawled, smiling encouragingly at Red, "And, as I told you earlier, quite a looker too. Come back here, love, don't be so skittish." Red was having none of it, though, "What have you done with my Gran, you beast?" Wolf's smile became all teeth again as he drawled, "Nothing she didn't enjoy." Even innocent Red was aware of the innuendo in Wolf's words, and he stared at Wolf in horror, "Y... you wouldn't... Gran???"

Wolf's growly laugh skittered over Red's skin like a physical thing, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew he should be scared, both for himself and for his gran, but all he wanted to do was drown in that laugh for ever. "Don't worry, kid," chuckled Wolf, "she is fine. More than fine, in fact. She's off on a fully paid vacation to Spain." Red's head was spinning, "What? How? When?” Wolf sat up against the headboard and patted the bed again, "Be a good boy and come sit next to me, and I'll tell you."

With a mixture of wariness and eagerness, Red approached the bed again, sitting down gingerly on the edge, only to find Wolf's long arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him close. "Now, then," said Wolf, licking Red's ear and laughing at Red's strangled squeak, "isn't this much nicer?” Red could only nod, looking at Wolf with saucer-like eyes. "Right," Wolf started, with a gentle squeeze to Red's shoulders, "your gran."

"Well, you see," he went on, his fingers tracing hypnotic patterns on Red's neck, "I very much wanted to meet you, but your mum watches you like a hawk, so there was't much chance of it happening—Ah, ah, ah!" he admonished when Red opened his mouth to speak, and then continued, once Red shut his mouth with a snap, "When your mum fell ill, I thought there would be a good chance you'd come over to see your gran, so I sent her on a holiday on the chance that I would be able to get you alone." Red had trouble getting his head around all this, "You wanted to meet me? Wait, you paid for Gran to go on a holiday to Spain? Are you rich?"

"You could say I'm not without means." smirked wolf, "I told her she'd won the holiday on a radio competition you'd entered. She was very happy that you'd been so thoughtful." In a swift move, Wolf moved down on the bed, carrying Red with him until they were lying down nose to nose, "And yes, I have been wanting to do this for a very long time." he whispered against Red's lips, his hands slipping under Red's hoodie to glide on his smooth skin. Red gasped, eyes rolling back, as Wolf's tongue licked at his slightly parted lips before sliding in to explore his mouth.

With Wolf's lips on his, Red's ever-present self-consciousness, the ingrained diffidence from a lifetime of being told he was ugly and awkward, his uncomfortable feeling of being a stranger in his own body, vanished, forgotten in the wonderful new sensations. Wolf's kisses, his touch, his scent, fulfilled Red's deep-seated need for affection, a tiny spark of confidence daring to flare up, surprising himself by becoming an active participant in the kiss. 

Instinctively, Red put his arms up around Wolf's neck, slender hands fisting in golden hair and body pressing urgently against Wolf's as their lips moved in perfect sync, tongues sliding together and exploring one another's mouths. He felt floaty and tingly all over, his body eagerly, delightfully, reacting to Wolf's touch, Wolf's taste on his tongue the most wonderful thing in his whole life's experience. In the back of his mind, he could not believe that this beautiful stranger had gone to such lengths to be with him, and was now kissing him so expertly in a way that he probably should be ashamed of, but made him feel so wonderful that he couldn't bring himself to care.

When Wolf broke the kiss to nibble along his jaw, Red's insecurities came back in force, though, "Why?” he asked weakly, squirming in Wolf's arms. "Mmmmhh?" Wolf hummed in response, never removing his mouth from Red's skin. "Why... Nnngghh. Oh, god!" Red lost all train of thought as Wolf's hands squeezed his arse, Wolf's obvious erection pressing against his own. "Yes, love?" smirked Wolf, his voice a little unsteady; Red's combination of sweet innocence and shy eagerness going to his head, as intoxicating as the strongest of spirits—and, well, yes, if we are being honest, going straight to his cock too. 

Pulling away a bit to look at Wolf, Red took a shaky breath, trying to gather his scattered brains, "You said you wanted to meet me. Why me?" Wolf's eyebrow quirked in amusement, "It's what I do, kid. My nature is to seduce. What do you think happened to the 'lost' children?" Red's face fell, his mouth pouting a disappointed little 'oh', the magic of his encounter with the beautiful stranger, the feeling of being chosen fading away as he got relegated to one of many. Looking down, he tried to hide his disappointment, his body instinctively starting to curl in on itself.

His usual shyness and lack of confidence washed over him, and he nearly missed Wolf's whispered words, "There's something different about you, though... You're..." Red's breath caught in his throat as he felt Wolf's knuckles gliding softly down his cheek to hook under his chin, bringing his head up, Wolf's eyes warm on his, Wolf's lips scorching his skin as they kissed his forehead, "special..." his cheek, "beautiful..." Red's eyebrows almost meeting his hairline and his lips mouthing 'beautiful' in wonder as Wolf kissed his nose, "sweet..." his other cheek, "warm..." his chin, "gorgeous..." here Red couldn't help a bubble of incredulous happiness to escape him in a burst of giggles, Wolf capturing them with his lips as he whispered, "... and hot." 

"I've been looking for you for the last hundred years, kid." Wolf said softly as they broke the kiss, his lips brushing across to Red's ear, his breath and his words making Red shiver. Eyes like saucers, Red tried to speak, question Wolf's strange pronouncement, but Wolf's fingers threading in his hair and skimming across his chest under the hoodie took all the breath out of his lungs. Red could only whimper when he felt Wolf's light touch on his nipple, his body going limp with pleasure as Wolf pushed the fabric up to follow his fingers' touch with his mouth. Lips closed on the already hardened nub and tongue swirled around it while fingers moved on to tease the other nipple, Red's face tightening in a silent scream.

"Let's get that thing off you, kid, you don't need to hide from me." Wolf said gently, pushing the hoodie up all the way, and kneeling up on the bed to help Red sit up so he could take it off him. "Let me look at you." he whispered, Red leaning back on his elbows and looking up at him with clear, steady eyes, for once in his life not self-conscious about his appearance, the weight of Wolf's eyes on his skin eloquent without words, telling him of his own beauty.


	3. Chapter 3

In an odd turnaround, Wolf found himself tongue-tied, his breath choppy and his heart somersaulting in his chest, time suspended as he stared at Red, unable to take his eyes away from pristine skin that seemed to glow in the filtered sunlight. Red's hand in his broke the thrall, and he looked up to gasp in astonishment at the blue fire blazing in Red's eyes, a steady pull on Wolf's hand bringing him down to cover Red's body with his own. "Well, this is..." he started to say, but Red's hands fisted in his hair, bringing their mouths crashing together to kiss him fiercely, defiantly, thoroughly, exorcising years of loneliness and empty hopeless dreams in that meeting of lips and tongues and shared breath, until they were both panting for air. Resting his forehead on Red's, Wolf finished shakily, "... unexpected." 

For a few moments, there was silence in the quaint little bedroom, only the creaking of the old house in the late afternoon heat and their slowing breaths disturbing the quiet. Wolf's mind struggled to come to terms with the unusual situation; here he was, designed to seduce, yet being seduced by an artless child. Red's arms holding him, Red's fingers lightly stroking the skin of his back under his shirt, Red's soft breath on his face, filling him with unexpected warmth and comfort and, yes, peace. A feeling that, he now realised, he'd been craving all his life. Ice settling at the base of his spine, Wolf lifted his head to stare at Red in mingled wonder and apprehension at this realisation—could it possibly...? His body tensed into breathless immobility and his brain slammed shut as he forced himself to ruthlessly dampen the flash of hope sparking in his chest. No—It couldn't be.

"What's wrong?" Red asked in concern, his newfound confidence melting away in the face of Wolf's lack of response and unblinking stare. "You just... went away. Are you ok?" Nothing. Not even an eyelash moved on Wolf's face. "What's wrong?" he repeated, his words becoming muddled by distress as he went on, his hands frantically hovering over Wolf without daring to touch him, "Did I do something wrong? Please say something. Please, Wolf." Red's voice broke on Wolf's name, a tear slowly gathering at the corner of his eye and rolling down his cheek, his arms dropping defeatedly onto the bed, "I'm sorry." he whispered dejectedly, turning his head and trying to hide his face in the pillow.

The desolate sound of Red's broken voice clutched at Wolf's frozen heart, chinks appearing on its frosty armour. Shaking himself, he brought his hand up to cup Red's cheek, turning his face on the pillow to look at him, "Hey, no, _**I**_ am sorry. kid, it's ok." When Red would not look at him, he started again, his voice softer, his thumb gently brushing the tear streaks off Red's face, "Red? Look at me, love. You didn't do anything wrong. I just spaced out for a minute." When Red sneaked a tentative peek at him, he gave Red a warm, encouraging smile, leaning in to brush their lips together, "I was surprised, is all." He let his body slide off Red's to lie on his side and, leaning on his elbow, ran a finger lightly down the middle of Red's chest, his eyes following the cascading ripples of Red's tummy muscles. "You did nothing wrong." he repeated softly, flattening his hand on Red's waist and pulling him closer.

Red raised a tentative hand to move aside Wolf's shirt collar, Wolf's eyes fluttering closed as the warmth of Red's palm settled on the side of his neck, sending shivers down his spine, "Is this ok?" Opening his eyes again, Wolf leant into Red's hand, covering it with his own, "It is more than ok." he said, smiling at Red's intent, slightly worried look, "I'm not going to break if you touch me, kid." The words had scarcely left his lips when he wondered at their veracity; he could almost hear the tinkling sound of the ice shards cleaving off his heart as Red turned onto his side, long fingers shyly undoing a couple of Wolf's shirt buttons and sliding under the fabric to spider across his skin, taking advantage of Wolf's tacit permission to explore.

Red could not believe his own boldness as he felt the glory of Wolf's golden skin under his fingertips. The tip of his tongue peeking through his lips, eyes fixed on his wandering fingers, he mapped the contours of Wolf's chest, marveling at its warm smoothness, getting distracted by the slightly different texture of the light patches of soft blond hair, his breath hitching at Wolf's occasional muted exclamations as he touched a sensitive spot. His hand came to a stop over Wolf's heart, and he looked up from under his eyelashes, seeking Wolf's eyes, to find them fixed on him, unreadable. "I can feel your heartbeat." he whispered reverently, moving closer, his ear replacing his hand over Wolf's heart.

With a strangled, inarticulate sound deep in his throat, Wolf closed his arms around Red's body, his left hand holding Red's head tenderly against his chest, kissing Red's hair as he whispered, "What are you doing to me?” In the whole of his long, dreary existence, Wolf had never felt the way the awkwardly beautiful, boldly naive, shyly assertive young man lying in his arms as if he belonged there made him feel. "Wolf?" Caught up in his musings, he nearly missed Red's soft voice, only noticing the barely there brush of lips against his skin. "Mmmm?" he craned his neck to look at Red, but he refused to meet his eyes, "Could you..." a loud, nervous swallow had Wolf's ears pricking up in interest, "would you mind... I mean..." 

"What is it, kid?" he asked gently, going on as Red shook his head and buried his face in Wolf's chest, "Come on, love, out with it. Like I said, I don't bite..." he nearly stopped there, but couldn't resist adding, "...much." The giggle emanating from the middle of his chest surprised him, a smile spreading across his face at the happy sound. "Oi, a bit of respect for the evil fairytale archetype, if you wouldn't mind." he mock-growled to more giggles, "Now, out with it, or do I have to bite it out you?" Red's head shook in denial, giggles muffled against Wolf's chest. Wolf arched an eyebrow, "Was that no, 'I won't tell you', or no, 'don't bite me'?" 

Red's head popped up, bright laughing eyes peeking at Wolf from under a thatch of messy dark hair, looking like a cute little porcupine, "No, I won't tell you." Red said, laughing hysterically as Wolf rolled him onto his back and, pinning his wrists above his head, growled and snapped his teeth at him. Wolf snagged Red's earlobe to nibble on it for a moment, then continued to nip playfully along Red's jaw, finally capturing Red's lower lip between his teeth and pulling gently. "Tell me," he said softly against Red's lips, releasing his hands, "please." Red looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment and then, taking a deep breath, without removing his eyes from Wolf's, said, "Would you please take your shirt off? I like the way your skin feels on mine."

Wolf's eyes rolled back in his head at Red's quiet request, a whimper escaping his lips and arousal washing through him like a flash flood, closely chased by hope and wonder and, yes, fear—could this painfully thin, sweet, beautiful child looking at him with wide, warm, guileless blue eyes really be his salvation? He felt himself unraveling, unable to hold on to the tight bounds he'd built up around himself over countless decades. As in a dream, he watched himself kneel up on the bed and, slowly, with shaking fingers, undo the remaining buttons of his shirt, while Red watched him with lips parted and eyes fixed on his hands' progress. 

Last button undone, Wolf's hands fell limp to his thighs, letting his shirt hang open, his ragged breath loud in his ears as Red pushed himself upright on the bed to kneel in front of him. For a brief moment, a breathless silence reigned in the room, Red sitting back on his heels, lower lip caught between his teeth and fingers twitching at his sides as he took in skin the colour of late afternoon Autumn sunshine stretched over tight, lean, flat muscle. His eyes lingered on the dusting of golden hair nestled between Wolf's dusky nipples before travelling down, caressing the smooth stretch of skin to his navel, only to snag helplessly on the well defined trail of hair disappearing into the waistband of Wolf's jeans. Wolf shivered as Red finally moved, slender hands slipping under fabric to alight on Wolf's skin, their touch as delicate as butterflies' wings as they brushed the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms until it pooled on the bed behind him.

Red's eyes sought Wolf's, a question in them, Wolf nodding imperceptibly before he could stop himself, his throat working as he tried to swallow the lump that seemed to have taken residence there, making it hard to breathe. In what felt to Wolf as slow motion, blue holding grey captive, Red shifted closer to kneel between Wolf's thighs, hands gliding slowly up Wolf's arms and along his shoulders, tender fingers fluttering over Wolf's collarbones as they sought the flat planes of his chest. Wolf's remaining breath left him in a shaky moan as soft lips followed light fingers, scattering kisses on skin made rough by goosebumps. 

Eyes closing in delight at the spicy tang of Wolf's skin on his lips, Red continued his slow journey of discovery, his hands tracing a path for his mouth to follow; the fast, shallow breaths of his growing arousal filling his whole being with Wolf's scent until he felt he would drown in it—yet he needed more. In the back of his mind he wondered at his own daring, so out of character with his usual self-conscious, shy disposition, but there was something about Wolf that drew him, an inexplicable longing that caused him physical pain, every fibre of his body screaming "More! Closer!" at him. 

A soft whimper escaped Red's lips as they found Wolf's nipple and closed to suck on its hard nub, arms snaking around Wolf's waist and hands splaying on Wolf's back to pull him closer, Wolf's answering moan and the light but urgent pressure of Wolf's hands on the back of his head encouraging him to follow his instincts. The resulting experimental flick of tongue and gentle scrape of teeth sent an electric bolt of pleasure coursing through Wolf's body, his back and neck arching until he thought he might snap in two, muscle and tendon straining as he fought for breath, fingers fisting convulsively in Red's hair.

Red nearly jumped out of his skin, startled by Wolf's reaction, yelping from the sudden pain radiating from his scalp, his momentum sending him flailing sideways onto the bed to land in a heap. Wolf, fingers still clutching at Red's hair, was carried along, ending up lying half across Red, eyes tightly shut and panting as if he'd run a full marathon. "Ow! Wolf? Wolf, let go!” Red whined, winded by the fall and Wolf's weight across his chest, and brought his hands up to his throbbing head to try and free himself without getting scalped in the process. Wolf's hands fell away from him the moment Red touched them, "Oh, god, kid, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked, lifting himself off Red to gently brush his hand over Red's much abused hair, his mortified expression so comical that Red burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"Yes, I'm ok." he hiccuped between giggles, taking Wolf's hand and pulling him back down to lie next to him, surprising the ever living daylights out of Wolf by keeping their hands joined as they both regained their breath. After a few moments, Red propped himself up on an elbow and rolled on his side to face Wolf, closing in to kiss him, one finger caressing down the middle of Wolf's chest mimicking Wolf's earlier caress, and eyes sparkling with mischief as he quipped, "Bit sensitive, are we?” 

Wolf's head reeled at the sudden role reversal. Red's sweet kiss, his taunting caress, his giggly cheek. His own breathless, quivering response to Red's sudden assertiveness. Wolf closed his eyes, trying to make sense of it all; he was the one always in control, always the initiator, the aggressor in this game of seduction he was doomed to play. It was his curse. It was the preordained way in which his life was to be played out _ad aeternum_. This sudden deviation from script, so closely skirting the loophole that was his only hope for release, filled him with boundless hope—and scared him spitless at the same time. In a few heartbeats Wolf went from the pinnacle of hope to abject fear and back again, until Red's hand on his face stopped his panicked wonderings to ask, "Are _you_ ok? You went really pale all of a sudden." 

He nodded in response, not trusting his voice to be steady, and opened his eyes to look up at Red, only to shut them tight again, the sight of Red's beautiful face pinched with worry for him, eyes soft and warm searching Wolf's face in concern, ripping through his gut and wrenching him inside out. Right there and then, throwing caution to the wind, he made a decision that went against all his instincts: to trust in the hope Red sparked in his heart. Blindly, he reached for Red with his hands, framing his face with a tenderness he didn't know he was capable of, caressing Red's sharp cheekbones with his thumbs as he whispered, "Kiss me." 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Despite the flock of butterflies taking flight in his stomach at Wolf's whispered plea, Red waited patiently for Wolf's eyes to open, poised over the fascinating, compelling and, if Red were to be honest to himself, more than a bit scary man who had taken his heart hostage in a matter of minutes. He waited, all his instincts telling him, despite his lack of experience, that this would be a defining moment in his life—and possibly Wolf's—a moment that should be approached, and savoured, with eyes wide open.

Heart hammering in his chest, Wolf waited too—for Red's kiss, for what he now fervently hoped would be his release from a century old curse. And waited. And waited some more, hopes plummeting with every second that ticked by without Red's lips on his. Fear and disappointment clutching at his heart, he finally could not wait any longer, reluctantly opening his eyes to be met by Red's intense, searing stare. Wolf's breath caught in his throat at the smile lighting up Red's face as he slowly brought his mouth to Wolf's, both of them gasping at the electrifying jolt that shot through them as their lips touched.

Wolf had never experienced a true kiss—oh, yes, he'd kissed and been kissed countless times, but those kisses had been nothing but tools of seduction, aggressive weapons, meaningless means to an end. Red's kiss, gentle, tender, selfless, cracked Wolf's heart wide open, filling it with light and warmth. All he knew were Red's lips soft and undemanding on his; Red's tongue shyly, worshipfully exploring every recess of his mouth; Red's subtle, sweet taste on his tongue; Red's hand resting along his jawline, fingertips gently massaging his scalp; Red's clean, fresh scent surrounding him like a safety blanket; Red's warm breath becoming his air... Red...

Lack of air broke the kiss, mouths reluctantly drawing apart, sharing panted breaths. As tear-bright grey eyes met dazed blue, Wolf's expression took Red's breath away. It was as though he was looking straight into Wolf's soul, seeing the warmth and wonder and hope and tenderness there, a need to be loved overlaid by fear and pain and an ancient darkness. Any lingering fear or mistrust Red might still feel vanished, his instinctive response to Wolf's need overwhelming in its intensity. 

Soft lips brushed golden skin, drawing a path from forehead to cheek to jaw to neck, drawing shaky sighs from Wolf as they kissed down the middle of his body. They lingered on his navel with a cheeky flick of tongue, joined by nipping teeth that had him biting his fist to stop himself from screaming as they pulled gently at the soft hair leading to the throbbing ache between his legs.

Red could hardly recognise himself as he reached for Wolf's belt, undoing the buckle with trembling hands. Wolf sat up a bit to lean back on his elbows, watching in dazed disbelief as Red pulled the belt through the loops and carelessly dropped it on the floor. Inwardly cursing his own clumsiness as his fingers struggled with the button of Wolf's skinnies, Red's eyes strayed from his task to watch the rippling of Wolf's muscles every time his fingers brushed skin. 

Button finally undone, he gingerly took the zipper's tab between his finger and thumb, Wolf sucking in his belly in anticipation with a shaky intake of breath as the zipper was carefully pulled down. This was it. Red's eyes widened, his mouth forming a silent 'oh' as Wolf's cock sprang gratefully out of its confines to lie on his belly, gorgeously plump and well on its way to full hardness, a bead of precome glimmering at the tip. 

Red needed to see all of Wolf, though. Hooking his fingers through the belt loops, he pulled, Wolf's hips lifting eagerly to allow him to peel the tight black material off his legs to join the belt on the floor. Red couldn't help but stare; never in his short and rather dull life had he seen anything as magnificent as Wolf's body. From the tips of his long toes to the tips of his shiny hair, Wolf was a study in perfection, his tight golden body radiating an easy confidence and casual sensuality that Red, trapped in his skinny, knobbly, awkward body, could only ever dream of.

As in a dream, Red watched himself bend forward slowly to flick his tongue tentatively at the shining droplet now rolling slowly off Wolf's slit. He closed his eyes, savouring the unexpectedly sweet taste, thus missing Wolf's unbelieving, pained expression as he struggled not to let out the scream building deep inside him. It was too much. Red's luscious mouth being so tantalisingly close to his cock that his breath felt like a physical caress; the light touch of Red's tongue, barely there yet making his whole body clench; Red's far away, ecstatic look as he processed Wolf's taste, so innocent and yet so sinful. 

Wolf willed his breath to slow down, one arm thrown over his eyes, his other hand fisting in the bedding to keep himself from following his instincts and laying Red on his back to shag him breathless. He held himself as still as a startled mouse, unwilling to break the spell, storing the sight of Red's dreamy smile in his heart as something to be cherished forever. 

With a little shake to bring himself back to task, Red opened his eyes, flicking a guilty look at Wolf, not quite sure how his unprecedented boldness would be received. Smiling a little at Red's sheepish expression, Wolf motioned at him to get closer, "Come back up here for a moment, kid." he said, extending his arm out on the pillow in invitation. Sighing a contented little sigh, Red crawled up to nestle against Wolf's side, skin to skin.

Wolf's arm wrapped around him, lips tickling the soft spot just behind his ear, "That was the single most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Red squirmed in Wolf's arms, part in embarrassment, part at the way Wolf nibbled on his earlobe while he asked, "Did you like it?” It was a good thing that Wolf was lying down, or he'd have fallen over when Red's heavy lidded eyes lifted to meet his, his voice husky as he answered, "Yes... Because it tasted of you."

Wolf took a shaky breath, "Ah, kid," he said, kissing Red's forehead, "you're killing me here." Letting the breath out in a sigh, he collected himself, smiling at Red, "Right," he said briskly, "I believe you have me at a disadvantage." only to laugh at Red's confused expression. "You're overdressed, kid." he explained, giving Red's arse a friendly pat, "We'd better do something about that." Red's ears felt as if they were on fire once he understood that Wolf wanted him naked, his cock twitching inside his jeans, which now felt a lot tighter than five minutes ago, despite his natural bashfulness. 

When he felt Wolf's hand slide between their bodies to undo his jeans, he heard himself say, "I'll do it." Sliding off the bed without giving himself time to think to avoid losing his courage, he made quick work of slipping out of his jeans and boxers, not quite believing what he was actually doing. Once naked, he stood still for a moment, letting Wolf see him, the weight of Wolf's eyes almost too much to bear, his whispered, "Beautiful!" settling on Red's skin like a salve. 

He saw the hunger in Wolf's eyes when he climbed back on the bed—a hunger that mirrored his own—but he couldn't bring himself to believe that Wolf could possibly want him as much as he wanted Wolf. His body buzzed with need. He wanted to worship Wolf, touch and taste every inch of his body, bring him pleasure in every way he knew how... 

That thought brought him up short. What did he know about pleasure, other than his occasional guilty dalliances with his own hand? Red's brief bout of boldness vanished in this sudden acute awareness of his own total lack of experience, leaving him frozen in place, shoulders slumped and body hunched in on itself with painful self-consciousness—what was he thinking? 

Wolf's eyebrows arched in surprise at Red's sudden change in demeanour, worry rushing him, without need for conscious thought, to kneel in front of Red and take his limp hands. "What is it, kid?" he asked, his voice gentle and soothing, "Is something wrong?" Wolf could not credit what came out his mouth next, concern for Red overriding his own needs, "We can stop this, if you're not ready." 

Red shook his head, biting his lip bloody in his effort to overcome his insecurities. Gathering his courage, he looked up at Wolf for a brief moment before dropping his eyes again, saying quietly, "I... I've never been with anyone like this. I don't know what... how..." He stopped, swallowed and, blushing to the roots of his hair, he looked straight into Wolf's eyes, whispering, "I don't want to disappoint you. Teach me. Please." 

Wolf sat back on his heels, winded—and incredibly aroused—by Red's artless, uncomplicated honesty. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to gain some semblance of control; once he was able to breathe again, he gently squeezed Red's hands, letting go of them to wrap his arms loosely around Red's neck, pecking his lips before saying, all his being behind his words, "You could never disappoint me, kid. You are the most sensuous and seductive creature I've ever come across." 

Red stared at Wolf with eyes so wide they were in danger of popping out of his head. Had he misheard what Wolf said? Sensuous? Seductive? Him? "But..." Wolf's teeth biting his lower lip silenced him. "No buts." Wolf said sternly against his lips, "You asked me to teach you; this is lesson one." Taking Red's hand, Wolf closed it around his own straining cock, smiling at Red's little gasp, "This is what you do to me, without even laying a hand on me."

Red looked down, his galloping heart missing a beat at seeing Wolf's rock hard cock gripped by both their hands. As Wolf removed his hand, Red stared in incredulous fascination at Wolf's hardness, warm and silky and heavy, nestled snugly in his fist. As if it had a life of its own, Red's hand started stroking Wolf in a slow, leisurely rhythm, Wolf growling deep in his throat and sinking his teeth in Red's shoulder, Red's touch the most pleasurable thing he'd ever experienced. 

Red's little cry of mingled pleasure and pain at Wolf's bite and his speeding hand drove Wolf close to the brink; breathing heavily, he licked the bite mark, stark on Red's pale skin, only to groan at the salty-sweet taste on his tongue. "Slow down, kid," he panted, once again wrapping his hand around Red's to gently bring it to a stop, "or this will be over before it even starts." He nibbled along Red's jaw to his mouth, smiling against his lips as he went on, "And what would be the fun in that?" 

Laughing softly at Red's pout, he kissed the jutting lower lip before going on, "Don't pout, love, you'll have plenty of time to play." Gently, he untangled himself from Red, taking his hand and moving to lay on his back, patting the bed next to him, "Come on, kid, come lie down, let's get comfortable." 

Red blinked at him, looking for all the world like a little kid who had a favourite toy taken away from him. With a sigh, Wolf lifted himself up again to wrap his arms around Red and pull him back down on the bed to lie on top of him. "Now," he said, opening his legs so that Red's were cradled between his thighs, smiling as Red's groin pressed against his, and chuckling at Red's startled expression as their cocks came up close and personal, "lesson two." Without further ado, Wolf placed his hands on Red's arse, holding him steady as he rolled his hips. 

Toes curling as their cocks slid against one another for the first time, Red braced himself on his forearms with a grunt to stop himself from faceplanting on Wolf's chest. Despite the jolt of pleasure, he frowned down at Wolf, "Lesson?” Wolf grinned smugly up at him, "Friction, kid," he said, his voice breaking a bit at the end as he rolled his hips again to illustrate his point, "friction." Bringing his lips to Red's ear, he whispered, "Move with me."

Wolf chuckled again at Red's silent, wide-eyed 'me?’ "Yes, you, love." he answered, taking hold of Red's hips and moving them in counterpoint to his own on the next roll, "Like this.". With the cutest little squeak that Wolf had ever heard, Red closed his eyes, resting his forehead on Wolf's to pant into his mouth as he started to move in sync with Wolf, his whole being concentrating on the sensations generated by Wolf's friction masterclass. 

Wolf smiled at the endearing way Red's lips moved on his in tiny sucking motions with every roll of his hips, conjuring a long forgotten childhood memory of feeding colourful glistening fish, tiny mouths softly sucking at his fingers. He brought himself to the present with a shake, only to wonder at the compulsion that made him move to press the tip of his tongue experimentally against Red's lips. Like a suckling baby, Red latched onto Wolf's tongue, sucking in slow pulls that instinctively fell into the cadence of their hips. 

A growl started deep in Wolf's chest as Red's hips started moving with intent, spidery hands cupping his face, tilting his head to get better access. Red started sucking harder, pulling Wolf's tongue deeper into his mouth until Wolf could feel the soft, velvety texture of the back of Red's throat on its tip. Instinctively, Red's mouth slackened as Wolf's tongue became an active participant, hard, demanding, slowly fucking Red's mouth, making Red ache with need.

He arched his body sensuously as Wolf expertly took the lead, Wolf's hand on the small of his back pressing him closer to achieve the perfect angle, the perfect cadence, the perfect amount of friction with every roll of their hips. A fire seemed to be burning in Red's belly, turning his blood into molten lava as it coursed through his veins. A fire fuelled by the heat of Wolf's body as it moved so smoothly against his, by Wolf's mouth roaming every bit of his skin it could reach, by the intoxicating scent of sweat and sex pervading the room.

Red couldn't even begin to catalog the onslaught of sensations assaulting his body, yet he wanted more. Needed more. Bracing himself back on his forearms and holding onto Wolf's shoulders for leverage, he broke free of Wolf's control. A fast learner, he soon found an instinctive rhythm in counterpoint to Wolf's, his teeth clenching with the resulting breathtaking wave of pleasure, the conflagration in his belly flaring out of control.

Red's whole body tingled, pinpricks of sweat breaking out on his skin, gathering into beads and rolling slowly to join others and form tiny rivulets that pooled into the dips of his angular body. Wolf followed one of those beads hungrily with heavy lidded eyes, transfixed by its glimmering path down the front of Red's straining neck on its way to the dip between his collarbones. He licked his lips, watching it run into the sweet hollow to join its sisters, and before he knew it, he had arched off the pillow and was lapping delicately at the gathered sweat, moaning as Red's sharp, spicy taste exploded on his tongue.

Wolf was losing himself. His body was betraying him, surrendering to Red's allure, every shared moment battering his soul with unprecedented emotion, every minute touch drowning his body in ecstasy that bordered on pain. His heart felt foo full as his body spiralled out of control, tightening the bright coil at the base of his spine until he felt as if he might explode.

He struggled to keep his eyes open through the blinding pleasure, and was rewarded by the sight of blue eyes becoming almost black before they fluttered closed. Red's neck arched back to expose his throat, muscles straining as he released a keening moan that had every single hair on Wolf's body stand on end. Losing all semblance of control, unable to resist the sight of Red's exposed throat, Wolf followed his instincts and closed his teeth on Red's pulse point. 

Instead of jerking away, Red brought one hand to the back of Wolf's head to hold him in place, the fingers of his other hand clenching on Wolf's shoulder, nails digging in to leave bloody crescent marks. Their bodies curled into one another in shared pain and pleasure, the slick warmth of their combined releases painting Wolf's belly before Red's body slumped down on top of him like a stringless puppet, head rolling to rest in the crook of Wolf's shoulder, the harsh sound of his panting loud in Wolf's ear. 

Red's eyes opened a fraction as Wolf brushed back the damp strands of hair plastered to his face to kiss his temple. He smiled a sleepy, satisfied little smile, snuggling closer, his lips lazily kissing any patch of Wolf's skin he could reach without moving. The last things he was aware of before a deep, satisfied sleep overtook him were Wolf's hands softly stroking his back, and the coppery light of the setting sun bathing Wolf's skin, making it glimmer like burnished gold.


	5. Chapter 5

Wolf woke up screaming in agony as a shaft of excruciating pain ripped through his body, sitting bolt upright and looking around with wild eyes, struggling to get his bearings. Pain shot through him again, sickeningly familiar, comprehension setting in as he took in the dark room. 

He flinched as a tentative hand touched his arm, dread filling him as it was followed by a shaky voice, "Wolf, what's wrong?" Red. Wolf froze as the horrifying realisation hit him, dying inside as he remembered. Basking in the radiant glow of happiness that Red had brought into his life, he'd allowed himself to fall asleep after sunset with the boy's warm, satiated body still in his arms. How could he have been so careless? "Wolf, you're scaring me, please talk to me." The fear and concern in Red's voice unfroze him, clearing his mind. He had to do something—anything—to get Red safely out while he was still in control of himself.

He turned around, grasping Red's shoulders in a vice-like grip, urgency and distress forcing him to ignore the brief flash of shocked pain on Red's pinched face. "You have to get out of here, kid," he gritted through his teeth as a new wave of pain gathered inside him, "right n..." Agony wracked his body, and he fell back on the bed, limbs twisting horribly in spasms that wrenched muscle and sinew and bone in ways that weren't meant by nature, yet he still forced a single agonised word through his locked jaws, "Run!" 

Confused, scared and still half-asleep, Red stared helplessly at Wolf's writhing form, the contrast between the blissful wonder of the previous few hours and the stark horror of his present reality shorting his brain into blank incomprehension. Run? Why? He looked around—From what? 

The sickening sound of bones popping out of their sockets sharpened his focus, and he scrambled towards Wolf, choking back tears as he took in the inhuman rictus of pain that twisted Wolf's features in his silent screaming. Not knowing what else to do, he cradled Wolf's body gently against his own, whispering "It's ok." over and over again, and using one corner of the bed covers to mop the sweat streaming down Wolf's face. 

For a few awful seconds, Wolf was neither human nor animal, suspended in black nothingness, yet chillingly aware of the way the curse stripped him of every shred of human emotion as it changed his physical form. Over the endless years, he had come to welcome the transformation that freed him from guilt and regret and hopeless longing, being ruled only by animal instincts; liberated, in a twisted kind of way. 

This time, though, fear for Red made Wolf fight against it, heedless of the paralysing extra layer of pain caused by his struggle, willing to endure that and more if it saved Red from the unspeakable fate that awaited him once the change was completed. Dread settled over him as, with a final, torturous convulsion, his body became a true wolf's and his conscious self was abruptly replaced by his wolf alter-ego. 

With a gruesome bone-popping heave, Wolf's body flickered in Red's arms, reality folding in on itself as human features were overlaid by a snarling, slavering snout, and his golden body seemed to contract into a lean animal shape covered in tawny fur. "So, there really was a wolf in the woods after all." Red thought inconsequentially, his brain following the path of least resistance, unable to wrap itself around what he had just witnessed.

The creature lying across Red's lap tensed as it scented the pungent tang of fear in the air, overlying the sweeter overtones of Red's natural scent, and the musk of sex. The wolf gave a confused snort as it caught a whiff of Wolf's spice, so close yet different to its own, but its hunger, always sharp after a change, recognised the fear scent as prey, stirring it from its dazed exhaustion. Instinct drove the wolf to attack, to close powerful jaws around the pale, frail, defenceless prey's pulsating throat. To rend the flesh open and lap at the warm blood, to feast on muscle and gnaw on bone.

Hackles raised, the wolf gathered itself to pounce, and Red scrambled back in horrified shock as the wolf howled a challenge and surged, jaws snapping a hairbreadth away from his face. The wolf ground to a halt as if it had hit an invisible wall, shaking, its fur rippling from head to tail in waves of confusion and distress. Hunger and instinct screamed 'prey', 'flesh', 'attack', 'blood', but Red's scent, familiar, redolent of lair and mate and safety, had finally registered on its brain, holding it back like a village mongrel's leash. 

For a long moment, boy and wolf faced one another, stock still, Red's harsh breathing and the wolf's deep growl the only things that disturbed the pall of silence that had settled over the room after the echoes of the howl died. Red had never been so scared in his whole life, but all his instincts were telling him that this beautiful, sleek creature facing him was still Wolf. Why hadn't it attacked him otherwise?

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, eyes fixed on the wolf's, Red extended his hand ever so slowly to touch the side of the wolf's head, marvelling at its silky softness. The wolf's growl died at Red's touch, replaced by a quiet whine, its ears flattening back on its head as Red whispered, "Wolf." The wolf whined again, its tail, which had been held aggressively stiff and straight, relaxing a little and giving the merest hint of a twitch.

Red smiled, the wolf's response confirming what his instinct was telling him, giving him hope. "Wolf, it's me, Red." he said, his voice gentle and soothing in the wolf's ears, "I know you're in there somewhere, and I'm not scared anymore." As he talked, his fingertips automatically started scratching under the wolf's jaw, eliciting another barely there flicker of the tail. "Mmmmm, you like this, do you?" he giggled, bringing his other hand up to scratch the other side, "Mmmm, yes, you do. The big bad wolf is not so bad after all, is it?" 

The wolf's jaw slackened, tongue lolling wetly to one side and hindquarters plopping heavily down on the bed at the pleasurable sensation. Now that the harsh, metallic fear-scent was gone, the pale creature's true scent surrounded the wolf, awakening something dormant inside it. Unnoticed by Red, the wolf's startling grey eyes took on a new light; aware, rather than wary; intelligent, rather than cunning. 

Wolf's struggle had not been in vain. Although relegated to an impotent prisoner at the back of the wolf's brain, his consciousness had made it through the change intact, and Red's scent, his touch, his voice, had somehow reconnected his two halves. Although still in animal form, the wolf was no longer a beast, two personalities, human and wolf, merging into one.

Wolf's joy and relief were boundless. He was now able to see and hear and feel, and he had gained the wolf's keen senses and instinctive understanding of its environment, while the wolf was no longer ruled by instinct and had gained human understanding and insight. And through this wonder, only one thing mattered to Wolf: Red was now safe from the wolf—from him.

Red's newfound confidence was shattered when the wolf suddenly pounced on him. With a terrified scream, he toppled backwards, arms flailing, as huge paws landed on his shoulders to push him down flat on his back. Huge, panic stricken eyes looked on in shock and disbelief as the wolf's snout closed in. The wolf's mouth opened to display sharp, gleaming teeth, and Red closed his eyes, arms instinctively crossing defensively in front of his face, bracing himself for a horrible death. How could he have been so wrong?

A few heartbeats later, and Red was still alive and breathing. Despite the fear that consumed him, curiosity won the day, and he lifted his arms off his face to peek at the wolf through slitted eyes. Only to nearly die of a massive coronary as the wolf chose that moment to attack. It took Red a long breathless moment to realise that he wasn't dead. That instead of the expected agony of piercing teeth crushing his windpipe, a long, wet tongue had licked him from the middle of his chest to the tips of his hair. That instead of the fearsome, snarling face of death, what was hovering over him was a wolfy grin, complete with happy panting and slobber dripping on his chest.

Despite his still wildly beating heart and fear-induced shortness of breath, Red's response once he got his bearings was instinctive; his arm shot out to clip the wolf's ear—hard, "Wolf, you utter beast!" he growled, although he couldn't help the smile twitching the corner of his lips, "You scared me half to death." Wolf yipped in pain and backed away slightly to allow Red room to sit up, standing contritely with his ears back and tail between his legs. 

Red took one look at him and started giggling, "Oh, come on, puppy eyes? Are you for real?" he laughed, his relief making him giddy. Wolf snorted with his snout up in the air, despite his wagging tail, making Red laugh even harder, "Aaawwww, you're so cute when you sulk." Sobering up a bit, threw an arm over Wolf's neck, pulling him closer, his hand stroking the sleek fur wonderingly, "Is it really you?" Wolf nodded, wolfy grin back in place, licking a streak up Red's cheek.

"Eeeewwwww. Slobber!" Red exclaimed, wiping the moisture off his face on his arm, "Ok, new rule, no kissing while you're a wolf." Hearing himself, he stopped, reality slapping him on the face, "Oh." his face fell, shoulders slumping, his arm dropping off Wolf to fall on his lap, "You're a wolf." Wolf whined at Red's distress, headbutting him gently and then slipping his snout under Red's arm and flicking it up, trying to get Red to hug him again. 

Red looked up at Wolf, tears shining in his eyes, "Are you going to be a wolf forever?" Wolf shook his head, and reeled back in surprise with a loud 'woof' as Red threw his arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely. "I was so scared, Wolf." Red whispered, tears of fear and worry and relief and happiness soaking into Wolf's silky fur, "I thought... I thought I'd lost you. I thought the wolf was going to... to..." 

Wolf's whimper in his ear and the barest hint of a lick stopped his incipient panic attack, and Red loosened his chokehold on Wolf's neck, "Sorry, sorry, I just..." He pulled back to look at Wolf's eyes looking out of the wolf's face, "I don't care that you're a wolf," he rushed out, "I'm not scared of you, please don't leave me."

 


	6. Chapter 6

Wolf could not bring himself to trust the evidence of his extremely keen wolfy eyes and nose and ears. He could not allow himself to believe that Red did not only not fear him, but wanted him, even as he was, a monster who preyed on the young and innocent by day and turned into a snarling beast at night. It was all he'd ever wanted, his dream of deliverance come true. 

He felt something give inside him, as if a switch had been thrown, and the very human heart beating inside the wolf's chest was filled to overflowing with emotions that he thought had been lost to him forever. The wolf in him watched in puzzlement as its human part fought itself in denial, refusing to acknowledge the feelings that blazed, bright and strong, inside him, afraid that it was all a cruel dream. 

In the end, the wolf's straightforward thinking, "The meatless prey that is not prey is our mate." brought Wolf's wildly spiralling ponderings to a screeching halt. Wolf didn't quite know what was more astounding, the wolf's simple assessment of the situation or the fact that it was communicating with him in the first place, seeing him and itself as a single entity worthy of the term 'us'.

He became aware of the gradual integration of his two halves, like the slow, swirling blending of a drop of ink into a glass of water, the result a uniform, attenuated colour throughout the liquid. He was no longer wolf or human, but a subtle combination of the two, the extremes of both smoothed out, until harmony was reached within him.

With a snorty huff, Wolf sat back on his haunches, bringing his wet nose to touch Red's in reassurance, his eyes trying to tell Red what he could not convey with words—feelings that he could not even name and had led to this momentous event.

You see, fairytale curses often have serendipitous loopholes, and Wolf's was no exception: he could be saved if he found someone to love, and who loved him back, able to see the person he really was beyond the monster he was forced to be. The loophole had a sting in the tail, though—his saviour must love Wolf more than he loved his own life, and Wolf shuddered uneasily when he remembered that particular codicil.

"Wolf?" Red's voice brought him back to the present reality, and he shook his head to rid himself of the sense of foreboding that gripped him; no need to borrow trouble. Letting his breath out in a huffy snort, he pawed Red in the chest, hoping the kid would understand the gesture. 

Red had grown up in a village full of working dogs and mongrels, so he was fairly well versed in basic canine language. Sitting back against the headboard, he pulled the covers up to his waist, and patted the bed next to him, saying, "Ok, ok, come here, then, but mind those claws, will you?" With a wagging tail, Wolf sidled up to Red until his head was resting on its paws across Red's thigh, looking beseechingly up until Red started scratching behind his ears.

"Awwww, look at the big bad wolf!" giggled Red after a while, Wolf's body having gone limp across his legs, the soft 'tap, tap, tap' of Wolf's tail on the bed advertising his appreciation of Red's ministrations. His giggling was cut short by a huge yawn, and suddenly Wolf was yawning too. "Gosh, I guess we'd better get some proper sleep, huh?" Red said, leaning over to kiss Wolf's cold nose, "You must be exhausted, and I feel like I could sleep for a week." 

Wriggling a bit, Red tried to lie down, but the wolf's weight had him pinned down, "Oof, move over a bit, Wolf, you're too heavy." he said, shoving gently, "I need to move, can't sleep sitting up." With a disgruntled huff, Wolf raised himself off Red and flopped down beside him, yipping in surprise as Red wrapped spindly arms around him, and buried his face in the wolf's pelt.

Wolf struggled to stay awake, not wanting to miss a single second of his time with Red, but the warmth of Red's huffy breath on his back, the sound of Red's slowing heartbeat, Red's scent—mate scent—all around him conspired to lull him into a deep, contented slumber. 

The wolf's keen ears woke him up in the dark, having picked up the sound of stealthy footsteps approaching the cottage. Every sense on alert and screaming 'danger' at him, the wolf's hackles raising and its lips pulling back into a snarl, he raised himself stealthily, his need to protect Red reinforced by the wolf's instinct to defend its mate. 

To his surprise, he found the kid sprawled sideways across the bed, oblivious to the danger. Moving to stand over Red's sleeping body, Wolf strained his ears, but an unnatural silence lay upon the cottage, the only sound Red's steady breath and the wolf's laboured panting.

The silence was broken by the sudden, deafening sound of the cottage's door slamming open, and Red woke up with a start at the loud noise, screaming in fright. Before Wolf could do anything to reassure him, Red froze mid-scream, staring in fascinated horror at a dark-skinned, dark-haired man standing in the doorway, dressed in the browns and greens of a woodsman, and pointing a double-barrelled shotgun at Wolf with deadly intent.

You see, Red’s mum, worried when Red hadn't returned by dusk, had begged her neighbour's husband to go looking for him, dreading that he may have been taken by the wolf. And so it was that the woodsman, having traced Red’s footsteps and wolf tracks to his gran's cottage, found himself face to face with the snarling wolf standing over the petrified boy. 

The embodiment of the collective unconscious archetype of evil standing in front of the woodsman drove all thought from his mind, a primal instinct to kill taking over, his limbs moving of their own accord to bring the gun to a shooting stance, his finger on the trigger.

The wolf growled a warning, tensing every sinew, getting ready to pounce on the intruder. The sound shook Red out of his frozen shock and, realising that Wolf would never stand a chance against the shotgun, he threw his body in front of the wolf's. 

His shouted "No!" was truncated by the ear-splitting crack of the gunshot, and then he was falling, falling, surrounded by darkness, the burning heat raging through his chest seeming to draw all warmth, his arms and legs frozen and lifeless as his body bounced limply on the bed. 

Gun dropping off his lifeless hands with a clatter of steel on stone, the woodsman, his legs folding under him, watched Red's fall in helpless horror. A horror made worse as, with a desolate howl that made every single hair on the woodsman’s body stand on end, the wolf lay down next to Red, gently nuzzling his small, broken body, sorrow and loss imprinted on its every move. Consumed by guilt, overcome with a gut-wrenching nausea, the woodsman dragged his limp form out of the cottage to lie in one of the garden beds, retching until there was nothing left in his stomach and then running back to the village to tell his tale of death.

Red was dragged back to semiconsciousness by the wolf's distant keening wail, the warmth of the wolf's body banishing the terrible cold that engulfed Red's limbs. "Wolf." he tried to form the word, but no sound came out, smothered by the blood that choked him, coating his tongue in salt and iron. 

Red mourned Wolf's loss, his brief glimpse of happiness gone before he could fully appreciate it, and his sightless eyes filled with tears even as cyanotic lips curved into a serene smile, knowing that Wolf lived even if he did not—a fair exchange, a life for a life, given freely in love. His ravaged chest rose in a last, shuddering effort to breathe, and then stilled, the blood pooling in his mouth and nose bubbling lightly with the weak exhale of his breath. 

The searing pain of loss cut through the wolf's heart, pierced Wolf's soul, and united they howled their rage and despair as they drowned in the scent of Red's lifeblood. Grief became a physical torment that knew no relief, guilt a weight that made breathing a painful struggle. Were it not for him, for this curse that transformed him into a beast of darkness, the beautiful boy who’d defrosted his heart with uncomplicated, selfless love would still be alive. How could he live with the knowledge that Red had died for him?

Drowning in an agony of sorrow, Wolf brought his hands to his face, trying to contain the sobs that wracked his body, scalding tears falling in rivulets down his cold cheeks, the wolf looking on in shared mourning. Deep in his grief, it took him a few moments to realise that it was hands, not paws that he brought to a face with human features, the shock of this realisation paralysing him with bone chilling horror.

“A beast thou shalt be—preying on the innocent by day; thy form rippling fur, ripping fang and lapping tongue by dark—until thou find’st a love that seest thee outwith thy monster, and lov’st thee in such measure as to lay down his life for thine.”

The words of his curse came unbidden to him, stark and cruel, his human form curling in on itself with the pain of bleak realisation. “No!” he cried in an agony of horrified disbelief that brought him to his knees, his wolf howling out a fierce challenge within him. “No!” he repeated in a broken whisper. How could he accept the deliverance he’d sought for a hundred years, the flame of hope weakly flickering in his shrivelling heart, when it had been bought with the coin of love’s death?

Gathering Red’s lifeless body in his arms, he held it tenderly against his chest, wolf-keen senses drawing in Red’s scent with each breath—a welcome pain. Wiping away silky black hair speckled with jewel-bright droplets of Red’s blood, he bent to kiss the boy’s pale forehead. 

“Why?” he asked, anger and remorse and despair threatening to choke him, “Why did you try to save me? I am not worth saving.” Kissing cold, blue-tinged lips that were still soft and pliable in a mockery of Red’s loving surrender, he whispered, “I would have gladly died to keep you safe. I don’t know how to live without you.” 

Anguish broke over him like a wave, and he allowed himself to be swept away by it, gently rocking Red’s still form as his grief spent itself in a storm of endless tears that flowed like a flood that would not be dammed, carrying with them Wolf’s love and pain, sorrow and remorse. 

Now, as everyone knows—or should know—true love’s tears are imbued with old, strong magic that has the power to unbind the darkest, most evil curses, and heal the most grievous wounds. And so it was that, as Wolf’s tears trickled over Red's broken body, their magic seeped into the boy’s ruined chest, repairing the damage in minute, imperceptible increments until all was as it should be. And then the tears, pooling on Red’s pale skin, softly sang his spirit back into a body that was now made whole and ready for its return.

Drifting from a darkness so deep it denied the very existence of light, Red's spirit seeped tentatively back into his body, confused at finding it cold and unresponsive. Once seated fully within, he became aware of uneven warmth and gentle movement, of moisture dripping on his skin, of a sound so mournful it brought tears to his closed eyes. 

A cautious shallow inhalation caused his chest to rise subtly, his first exhaled breath warm against Wolf's skin. Looking down in hopeful disbelief, Wolf's tears became tears of joy at the restored perfection of Red's body, no longer broken, cold and inert, but hale and breathing and slowly flushing with life's soft glow.

As Wolf looked on, stunned into immobility by the sublime miracle of Red's return to life, the boy's hand rose shakily to touch his face, speaking in a reedy whisper that Wolf had to strain to hear, "Wolf? Am I dead?" It was too much for Wolf to bear. With a strangled sob, he crushed Red to him, his lips pressed against Red's forehead, whispering his name like a mantra. 

"OOOOFFFFF, Wolf, you're choking me!" Red's grumbled protest against his chest was such a normal, commonplace thing that Wolf found his balance restored, loosening his hold with a final fervent kiss to look at the boy in his arms, to reassure himself that he was, indeed, alive, and couldn't help the relieved laughter that bubbled up when he found Red pouting up at him.

"What's so funny?" asked Red, frowning slightly at Wolf's strange, erratic behaviour, "What happened? Did I dream I was dead?" Wolf's eyes closed, his chest constricting in remembered pain, but Red's hand closing on his brought Wolf back to the present. "You were dead." he said, and he had to swallow hard to clear the lump in his throat before he continued, "You threw yourself in front of a gun to save me, you wonderful, insane boy. And I nearly died with the pain of losing you."

Red's eyes flashed blue in stunned shock at a Wolf's words, "You did?" All Wolf could do was nod, his mind still unable to wrap itself around the fact that Red had been restored to him. "But..." a little puzzled frown marred Red's brow, "But I'm not dead now, am I?" 

Cupping Red's face in his hands, Wolf kissed the frown away, "No. You're very much alive. I don't know how, I can't explain it. One moment you were dead in my arms, and the next you were healed and talking to me." Another kiss, this time to Red's lips, which parted in instinctive response, taking Wolf's breath away. Pulling away a little, he looked up at Wolf in sudden puzzlement, "Oh. What happened to the wolf?" 

"When you died..." Wolf did not fight the instinctive way in which his arms wrapped around Red, "when you died, because I loved you, because you gave your life to save mine out of love, I was freed from the curse." Red wriggled in Wolf's arms, trying to see his eyes, "You love me?" he asked, incredulously. 

Wolf's response was a kiss that made Red's toes curl. "I'm glad I'm not dead." Red said against Wolf's lips, once he was able to speak again, "And I'm glad you're not dead either." He paused, looking sheepishly up at Wolf, "But I'm cold. Could we please put some clothes on?"

Shaking with giddy laughter, Wolf reluctantly let go of Red, and they both spent the next few minutes crawling around the floor and giggling every time they bumped into one another as they retrieved their scattered clothing, and then a considerably longer time hindering one another in their attempts to get dressed with soft lips and tender touches that held no heat but spoke of their shared love and their need for one another.

Once they were dressed, Wolf picked up the throw rug lying at the end of the bed and, walking to the armchair by the window, extended his hand to Red as he sat down, "Come." Without hesitation, Red walked across the room to him, allowing himself to be tugged gently onto Wolf's lap and burrowing contentedly under the throw that Wolf wrapped over them, trapping their bodies' warmth in a cosy cocoon.

Once Red had stopped his wriggling about and settled comfortably against Wolf's chest, Wolf chose to speak the words that had been burning in his chest since the moment that Red's eyes had opened, full of life, from the other side of death, "I love you, kid," he said, smiling wistfully at Red, "I thought myself unable of love, but you took my heart in your hands and made it come alive again." 

He kissed the little 'oh' of surprise on Red's lips, "I was a monster for so long that I never expected to be loved, and when you died..." He stopped, unable to go on and, taking a deep breath, he changed tack, "I will love for as long as I breathe. I don't deserve your love, but, if you'll have me, I would spend the rest of my life with you."

Red didn't quite dare to believe, his dreams of love and belonging coming true with Wolf's words, with the love shining in Wolf's eyes as he spoke them, with the tender touch of Wolf's hands as they held Red as if he were something precious. But Wolf's not quite question deserved an answer, and Red had no doubt whatsoever what that answer was. "Yes." he said, letting his eyes speak what his words could not, choosing to bind himself to his wolf.

And that’s how the villagers found them—the dark haired boy curled up in the blond young man’s arms, eyes locked in silent communion, their faces glowing with a love so bright that it hurt to look at them. Startled by the intrusion, they clutched at one another, Wolf's arms tightening protectively around Red's slender frame, eyes burning with menace as his lips peeled back in a warning growl.

The small crowd stepped back, all except a small woman with hair of midnight and sapphire eyes as bright as Red's. Red's mother stood her ground, her eyes sparkling in challenge, "That's my child you've taken; I would have him back unharmed." Red's eyes widened at the implacable fierceness in his mum's voice, letting go of Wolf to extend his hand beseechingly towards her, "Mum..."

Before he could go any further, Wolf took Red's extended hand in his and, standing up to face the woman with steel in her voice, drew Red tight against his body, all challenge gone from his stance, "I would sooner cut my own heart out than harm a single hair on his head." He looked away from her eyes to meet Red's, saying softly, "Go to your mother, I have no right to keep you from her."

Red's hand tightened on Wolf's, eyes darkening at Wolf's words, his voice steady as he answered, "I am no longer a child, and you and I are one, bound by love and blood." Raising his free hand, he touched Wolf's face with ineffable tenderness, smiling softly as Wolf's eyes closed in response to the caress. "My place is with you," he went on, "not behind my mother's skirts." 

There was a collective gasp at Red's words, so at odds with the shy boy who used to hide under a red hoodie to avoid notice. But Red was not done. Letting go of Wolf's hand, he turned to his mother, "Mum, I am not the same boy who left home this morning. I walked through fear and fire and pain and blood into death to save the life of the man I love, and Wolf's love called me back from death." 

Ignoring the villagers' surprised whispers at his words, he took his mother's hands in both of his as he went on, a catch in his voice, "I am Wolf's, and he is mine. Would you welcome us into our home?"

His mother's arms closed around him in response, and he was simultaneously scolded, and cried over, and kissed and hugged near to death. When the storm of emotion abated, she took Red's hand and, extending her free hand to Wolf, smiled at him, "Thank you for bringing my son back to me. Welcome, son." 

There were rumbles of discord amongst the villagers, whispers of black magic and unnatural beings, but the village elders, being wise old men and women, declared that what the magic of true love had bound together must not be torn asunder by the doubting hearts of men, and that Red and Wolf must be allowed to fulfil their destiny together—thus shutting up the wagging tongues of the small minded villagers.

That settled, they all made their way through the woods back to the village square, where fires were lit and tables were laid out with food and drink, and Red and Wolf were seated in the place of honour, and were made to tell their tale, and repeat it time and again, until they were weary with it. Red's mother, noticing their drooping eyelids and sagging bodies, put an end to it, "Enough. You have had your fill. Let my children rest, it is past time we were all abed."

Exhausted by the day's events, and drained by the villagers' questions, they allowed themselves to be shepherded home by Red's mother. Once there, she kissed both their foreheads and, with her blessing, they mounted the stairs hand in hand, to share Red’s single cot in the attic, where they fell asleep peacefully entangled in one another's arms.

A couple of weeks later, a letter from Gran arrived, addressed to Red, saying that she'd found Spain most agreeable and had decided to settle there and give her cottage to Red—Red theorising, much to Wolf’s amusement, that the poolboy with liquid brown eyes fringed with dark lashes who featured in every single photo Gran had included in the letter may have had something to do with it. 

And so it came to pass that Red and Wolf settled in the little cottage in the woods to a life filled with love and wonder and not a single glimmer of magic, other than the warm, nurturing magic of the enduring love that bound them—a magic comprised of the ordinary trappings of a life shared; of meaningful looks and tender touches, of small hurts and silly arguments, of deep kisses and passionate embraces... And strawberries.

It was an ordinary life, and they lived it happily ever after.


End file.
